SPRINGFIELD – Schools with high numbers of student discipline incidents would be required to create a plan that details how the use of suspensions will be reduced under legislation led by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood).

“Students need to be in the classroom in order to learn and get the best out of their education,” Lightford said. “We need to find a way to deal with behavioral issues without jeopardizing our students’ education.”

School districts would be ranked according to their number of disciplinary incidents, with those in the top 20 percent for three consecutive years required to submit an annual report to the Illinois State Board of Education beginning in October of this year.

Senate Bill 1941 also creates the Safe Schools and Healthy Learning Environments Grant Program to provide resources to help implement restorative interventions and resolution strategies.

The plan was approved by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, and is scheduled for deliberation before the full Senate.